A Brief History of Political Advertising
in the USA
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INTRODUCTION
Anyone who has been in the United States during the run-up to a presidential election will more or less know some political advertising. To say it bombards TV viewers, radio listeners, and anyone who sees a billboard, well it would be a vast understatement. With the media revolution, Political advertising is getting bigger ever year, monetarily speaking, with an estimated $4 billion ready to be spent in the 2012 election year. But where did it stem from, and how has it changed? In the following pages, I will give a brief introduction of the successive president candidates and their presidential campaign commercials from Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 to the present president Barack Obama.
1952 EISENHOWER VS. STEVENSON Presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first politician to really take advantage of this new medium, creating 40 twenty-second TV spots. They were filmed in just one day at Radio City Music Hall, and the content was simple - Eisenhower took questions from the audience, and answered them in his trademarked "no bull" way. These questions were split into ads, and the campaign entitled "Eisenhower Answers America" ran, and was ultimately responsible for winning him the election. REPUBLICAN--DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER "It’s Time for a Change“ In 1952, there was no precedent in presidential elections for the use of television "spot" advertising—short commercials that generally run between twenty seconds and a minute. Governor Thomas Dewey, declaring spots "undignified," rejected their use in his 1948 presidential campaign. In 1952, most campaign strategists preferred thirty-minute blocks of television time for the broadcast of campaign speeches. What distinguished Eisenhower’s campaign from Stevenson’s was that it relied more on spot ads than on speeches. The campaign pioneered their use with a series of ads titled "Eisenhower Answers America."
DEMOCRAT--ADLAI STEVENSON "You Never Had It So Good" Speaking about the role of television advertising in election campaigns, Adlai Stevenson said, "I think the American people will be shocked by such contempt for their intelligence. This isn’t Ivory Soap versus Palmolive." Stevenson aide George Ball bitterly predicted that "presidential campaigns will eventually have professional actors as candidates."
ElECTION RESULTS REPUBLICAN--DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER "It’s Time for a Change" DEMOCRAT--ADLAI STEVENSON "You Never Had It So Good"
1956 EISENHOWER VS. STEVENSON For President Eisenhower, the only true emergency of his first term was the heart attack he suffered in September 1955. After his doctor pronounced him fully recovered in February 1956, Eisenhower announced his decision to run for re-election. The Democrats set up a replay of the 1952 contest by nominating Adlai Stevenson. The result was an even greater Republican landslide. Eisenhower was a popular incumbent president who had ended the Korean War. Two world crises helped cement his lead in the final days of the campaign: the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, and Britain, France, and Israel attacked Egypt in an effort to take over the Suez Canal. Eisenhower kept the United States out of both conflicts. As is traditional during a military crisis, American voters rallied behind their president. The events also undermined two of Stevenson’s key positions: the suspension of hydrogen-bomb testing and the elimination of the military draft. REPUBLICAN DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER--"Peace, Prosperity, and Progress" Although Eisenhower was the incumbent president, his 1956 ads continued to portray him as an ordinary American. Capitalizing on his enormous popularity, they emphasized Ike’s personality even more than his accomplishments.
DEMOCRAT ADLAI STEVENSON "Vote Democratic, the Party for You, and Not Just a Few" The main innovation in the commercials of the 1956 campaign was the five-minute spot. Stevenson appeared in a series of such spots, titled "The Man From Libertyville," which were filmed at his home in Libertyville, Illinois. The informal and folksy ads were designed to combat Stevenson’s image as an aloof "egghead." In an attempt to portray the divorced Stevenson as a family man, some of the ads featured his son and daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, the Eisenhower campaign made frequent use of the president's Mamie and large extended family. Emanating from America’s heartland, Stevenson's Libertyville spots were designed to re-establish the Democratic party as the true voice of the American people.
RES U LTS
1960 KENNEDY VS. NIXON After Eisenhower, the power of television could not be doubted. Nixon's television addresses in his presidential campaign, covering the Cold War and government corruption, was very powerful. However, John F. Kennedy was a man who was born to be on camera, and created over 200 TV ads in his run for the White House. He had grace, was at ease and looked slick and confident. Nixon, on the other hand, was fidgety on camera, had sweat on his brow, and looked troubled. Ironically, when the debates were televised, people thought Kennedy was the clear winner, while those listening on the radio thought the exact opposite.
DEMOCRAT JOHN F. KENNEDY "Kennedy: Leadership for the ’60s"
The Democratic nominee, charismatic Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, was attempting to become the first Catholic president and, at age 43, the youngest man ever elected to the office. The Kennedy campaign produced nearly 200 commercials, which varied widely in subject and style. The variety was partly caused by disorganization within the media campaign, which was being handled by two competing agencies. Several Kennedy spots showcased his spontaneous speaking abilities, using excerpts from rallies, speeches, and debates. And there were a variety of endorsement ads: Jackie Kennedy’s Spanish-language adwas aimed at Hispanic voters, and Harry Belafonte rallied the support of African American voters who, the campaign feared, might turn away from Kennedy because of his Catholic faith.
REPUBLICAN RICHARD NIXON “They Understand What Peace Demands"
The Republican nominee, Vice President Richard Nixon, was enjoying a growing reputation for his foreign policy skills after his televised "kitchen debate" with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959.
RESULTS KENNEDY VS. NIXON
1 9 6 4 J O H N S O N VS . G O L D WAT E R President Lyndon B. Johnson, who took office following John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, enhanced his image as a tough legislator by winning
a hard-fought battle to pass the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which guaranteed African-Americans access to all public facilities, and banned discrimination by race, religion, or sex. The Vietnam War was escalating, but had yet to become a real liability for Johnson. The margin of Johnson’s landslide victory in 1964 was partly a repudiation of Barry Goldwater’s extreme right-wing views. Goldwater, an Arizona senator and author of the best-selling book The Conscience of a Conservative, won the Republican nomination after a bitter primary campaign against moderate New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. In his acceptance speech, Goldwater made the infamous statement, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." The assertion, meant as a defense of conservatism, merged in the public consciousness with statements in which Goldwater advocated the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam and argued that Social Security be made voluntary. DEMOCRAT LYNDON JOHNSON "Vote for President Johnson on November 3. The Stakes Are Too High for You to Stay at Home"
REPUBLICAN BARRY GOLDWATER "In Your Heart You Know He’s Right"
R E S U L T S J O H N S O N V S . G O L D W A T E R
1 9 6 8 N I XO N V S . H U M P H R E Y V S . WA L L AC E By 1968, one of the most turbulent years in American history, the number of American troops in Vietnam had risen from 16,000 (in 1963) to more than 500,000. Nightly TV coverage of the "living-room war" ignited an antiwar movement. After a weak showing in the New Hampshire primary, President Johnson shocked the country on March 31 by announcing that he would not seek reelection. Just four days later, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, sparking riots in more than 100 cities. In June, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after winning the California primary. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who entered the race late and had not won any primaries, became the Democratic nominee at a tumultuous convention in Chicago marred by disorder inside the convention hall and by the televised spectacle of violent confrontations between police and antiwar protesters.
REPUBLICAN RICHARD NIXON "Vote Like Your Whole World Depended on It" DEMOCRAT HUBERT HUMPHREY "Humphrey-Muskie, Two You Can Trust" INDEPENDENT GEORGE WALLACE “Busing/Law and Order�
R E S U LT S N I X O N VS. H U M P H R E Y VS. WA L L A C E
1972 NIXON VS. MCGOVERN In 1971, President Nixon’s approval rating fell below 50 percent. Despite his 1968 promises to end the Vietnam War, the conflict was dragging on. At home, inflation and unemployment were rising. Nixon restored his popularity through several actions: he took unprecedented diplomatic trips to China and Russia; stepped up efforts to end the war by ordering the bombing of Hanoi; instituted wage and price controls; and ended the draft, partly because of the recent lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18. Nixon’s opponent, South Dakota Senator George McGovern, who won his party’s nomination with a grassroots campaign sparked by the antiwar movement, called for withdrawal from Vietnam and a significant reduction in military spending. McGovern named as his running mate Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton, who, shortly after the convention, revealed that he had been hospitalized for depression and had received shock therapy. McGovern dropped him from the ticket and replaced him with former ambassador R. Sargent Shriver. The incident created an impression of ineptitude. McGovern was also unable to convince the public of any connection between the Nixon administration and the June break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex. REPUBLICAN RICHARD NIXON "President Nixon. Now More Than Ever"
DEMOCRAT GEORGE MCGOVERN "McGovern. Democrat. For the People"
R E S U L T S N I X O N V S . M C G O V E R N
1976 CARTER VS. FORD On August 9, 1974, after a Senate investigation revealed his direct involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in, Richard Nixon became the first president in American history to resign from office. Nixon was succeeded by Gerald Ford, who had been appointed vice president after a bribery scandal forced Spiro Agnew’s resignation in October 1973. These scandals and the televised Watergate hearings, which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of 25 Nixon administration officials, shattered the public's trust in the government. In a 1974 poll, 43 percent of respondents said that they had "hardly any" faith in the executive branch. As a result, the 1976 election was dominated by issues of integrity and character. Hoping to put the Watergate affair to rest, President Ford unconditionally pardoned Nixon in September 1974, but the move hurt Ford’s political standing. Ford won the Republican nomination only after fighting off a strong challenge from Ronald Reagan. The Democrats nominated Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, a former naval officer and peanut farmer. Carter, who promised, "I will never tell a lie to the American people," ran a brilliant campaign as an outsider, offering a fresh change from Washington politics as usual. DAMOCRAT JIMMY CARTER "Leadership for a Change"
As a candidate, President Ford was in the unenviable position of being the incumbent at a time when Americans had lost their faith in the presidency. Not surprisingly, Ford’s ads pictured him as a different kind of leader from Richard Nixon. They consistently portrayed him as a regular guy and a nonimperial president. Spots filmed inside the White House showed him dressed casually, with an open collar and no tie. They also claimed that Ford was responsible for turning the country around and leading it out of the Watergate nightmare.
Jimmy Carter was campaigning to become the first president from the Deep South since 1849. His campaign is best summarized by the fiveminute biographical spot that shows him in work clothes walking through a peanut field, and includes interviews with his colorful family. Yet establishing a farming background was not enough to qualify a candidate for the presidency. As the campaign progressed, Carter was made to look more and more presidential. Having emphasized his southern roots in his early ads, Carter appeared in a series of spots, produced late in the campaign, in a formal indoor setting wearing a suit and tie.
REPUBLICAN GERALD FORD "He’s Making Us Proud Again"
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran. Protesting the entry of the deposed Shah into the United States, they held 53 Americans hostage. For the next twelve months, the hostage situation was an ongoing American nightmare magnified by constant media attention. Confidence in President Carter eroded as a result of the Iran crisis, an oil shortage and resultant increase in gas prices, and 18 percent inflation. Carter’s chances were further damaged by a tough primary battle against Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. While Carter had been the fresh face of 1976, this year the role of Washington outsider was played by the Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan. A former Hollywood actor who became governor of California in 1966, Reagan made a brief run for the presidency in 1968, and nearly beat Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976. Reagan’s landslide victory was due not only to Carter’s problems, but also to a demographic shift toward an aging population that was growing more conservative. Carter became the first Democratic incumbent to lose the presidency since Grover Cleveland in 1888. In a further indignity, the Iranians waited until the moment of Reagan’s inauguration to release the hostages.
1980 REAGAN VS. CARTER VS. ANDERSON REPUBLICAN RONALD REAGAN "The Time Is Now for Strong Leadership"
DEMOCRAT JIMMY CARTER "Re-Elect President Carter on November 4"
INDEPENDENT JOHN ANDERSON
R E S U L T S REAGAN VS. CARTER VS. ANDERSON
1984 REAGAN VS. MONDALE In 1984, the economy was in an upswing. Oil prices were low, interest rates were high, and the lurking problem of the mounting federal deficit caused little public concern. REPUBLICAN RONALD REAGAN "America Is Back" With lush images of Americans buying houses, raising flags, washing cars, going to work, and playing in their yards, all set to swelling music in a montage style familiar from soft-drink and beer commercials, Ronald Reagan ads presented an upbeat image of "Morning in America." Reagan consultant Philip Duisenberg has said that the ads were designed to evoke emotion rather than thought or understanding: "That’s the most powerful part of advertising. It stays with people longer and better." The Reagan campaign produced several ads to defuse Mondale’s main attacks. The most memorable spot,"Bear,"responded to charges that Reagan had unnecessarily escalated military spending. In the ad a bear, representing the Soviet threat, prowls the woods as the narrator asks, "Isn’t it smart to be as strong as the bear—if there is a bear?" Another ad rebutted Mondale’s charges that "Reaganomics" was unfair to the middle class by defining "Mondalenomics" as higher taxes. In addition, Reagan’s ads consistently tied Mondale to the Carter administration, asking, "Now that our country is turning around, why would we ever turn back?"
Most of Walter Mondale’s ads featured ominous music reminiscent of the soundtrack of the popular horror movie Halloween. To evoke the dark side of "Morning in America," these conceptual ads used eerie scenes such as a father digging a hole for a bomb shelter in his backyard to protect his family in case of nuclear war. Mondale’s ads attacked Reagan on three issues: arms control, the deficit, and the widening gulf between the rich and the middle class. The ads asked the public to look beyond the apparent prosperity of the nation and see trouble on the horizon, but their claims did not ring true for the majority of Americans. A Mondale ad citing Reagan’s foreign-policy failures, with images of the caskets of marines killed in Beirut, was ineffective because Reagan was not considered responsible for that tragedy. Ads that were meant to show Reagan as unfair to the middle class were negated by the irresistible imagery of the upbeat Republican spots. Attacking Reagan simply proved fruitless, and Mondale’s commercials never presented a strong vision of an alternative to the Reagan presidency.
DEMOCRAT WALTER MONDALE "Fighting for Your Future"
ELECTION
REAGAN
RES U LTS
MONDALE
Ronald Reagan—the first president since Eisenhower to serve two full terms—had presided over a renewed national optimism, but there were dark clouds on the horizon as his presidency drew to a close. The federal deficit was soaring out of control. The revelation that profits from American sales of weapons to Iran were illegally routed to the Nicaraguan contras spawned a major scandal. Wall Street was in turmoil following several insider-trading scandals and the October 1987 stock market collapse. The stage was set for one of the most bitter presidential campaigns in recent history: Vice President George Bush, who portrayed himself as the rightful heir to the Reagan revolution, versus Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who offered a traditionally Democratic vision of increased government spending on health care, child care, education, and housing. The Bush campaign used brutal television advertising to portray Dukakis as an ineffective liberal who would gut the country’s defense system and let convicted murderers out of prison. Hoping voters would dismiss the attacks as unfair, Dukakis refused to counterattack until late in the campaign. By then it was too late.
1988 BUSH VS. DUKAKIS REPUNLICAN GEORGE BUSH "Experienced Leadership for America’s Future"
BUSH
DUKAKIS
DEMOCRAT MICHAEL DUKAKIS "The Best America Is Yet to Come"
1992 CLINTON VS. BUSH VS. PEROT George Bush, the incumbent president, enjoyed approval ratings near 90 percent following America’s decisive military victory in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Many leading Democrats, including New York Governor Mario Cuomo, declined to run, and the party’s nomination went to Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas. By early 1992, the U.S. economy was faltering, and Clinton’s campaign decided to focus almost exclusively on this issue. A prominently placed sign in Clinton’s campaign headquarters read "It’s the economy, stupid!" Ironically, because of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, which the Republicans took credit for, the Cold War was not an important issue during the campaign, and the Democrats were able to keep the emphasis on domestic concerns. The importance of the economy as an issue was amplified by the surprisingly successful thirdparty candidacy of billionaire Ross Perot, whose campaign concentrated on deficit reduction.
DEMOCRAT BILL CLINTON "For People, For a Change"
REPUBLICAN GEORGE BUSH "Commander-in-Chief"
INDEPENDENT ROSS PEROT
E L E C T I O N R E S U L T S CLINTON VS. BUSH VS. PEROT
1996 CLINTON VS. DOLE
Thanks to a robust economy and the absence of divisive foreign-policy issues in the presidential election, Bill Clinton enjoyed a relatively trouble-free ride on his way to becoming the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected to a second full term. Clinton’s victory represented an impressive political comeback. In 1994, Republicans had won control of both houses. Wielding enormous influence, House Speaker Newt Gingrich had forged the Republicans' "Contract with America," a conservative legislative agenda. During intense budget battles between the president and Congress, the federal government was shut down twice. Clinton blamed this on the Republicans, which enabled him to position himself in the center and portray the Republicans as extremists. The Clinton campaign repeatedly linked his opponent Bob Dole to Gingrich, while championing mainstream causes such as the Family Leave Act, college tuition credits, and a ratings system for television. Dole tried, without much success, to use the "character issue" to his advantage. Yet the public showed little interest in Clinton scandals such as "Whitewater," "Filegate," and "Travelgate," and allegations of campaign-finance abuse.
DEMOCRAT BILL CLINTON "Building a Bridge to the 21st Century" Bill Clinton’s ads consistently associated Bob Dole with House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Grainy black-and-white footage of Dole standing next to Gingrich exploited the public’s disenchantment with the Republican-led Congress following the shutdown of the federal government. In contrast with these ominous images, colorful, upbeat montages outlined Clinton’s achievements in a wide range of social programs. These ads took credit for the robust economy, and also played on the fear that the Republicans' assault on "big government" might threaten programs that the public supported, such as Social Security and education.
REPUBLICAN BOB DOLE "A Better Man for a Better America" Bob Dole’s commercials portray him as a war hero and a man of simple integrity, in contrast with Clinton’s questionable morals. However, polls repeatedly showed that, with the economy in good shape, the public was more interested in President Clinton’s job performance than in the numerous minor scandals that had emerged during his first term. Dole’s commercials, inconsistent in message and tone, failed to establish an effective target. One spot, "The Threat," began with footage from Lyndon Johnson’s famous 1964 "Daisy" commercial about the danger of nuclear war, and stated that the biggest threat was drugs. But the ad never made clear how this problem was linked to Clinton. Dole’s proposal of a 15 percent tax cut was cited in numerous ads, yet without any explanation of how it would have been funded. With a healthy economy, and a shrinking budget deficit, a tax cut was not a high priority for voters.
R C V D
E S U L T S L I N T O N S . O L E
2000 BUSH VS. GORE Domestic concerns were at the heart of the 2000 presidential campaign as Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush sparred over a relatively small group of key issues, including prescription drug plans for senior citizens, the future of Social Security, education, and the economy. Each side claimed that the other’s economic plan would result in increased deficits. Gore’s commercials claimed that Bush’s planned tax cuts were irresponsible, and Bush’s commercials claimed that a Gore administration would squander the budget surplus through big spending, bringing back the days of high deficits. With the economy in good shape, and with the public seemingly uninterested in foreign affairs, the election was a battle for the center. The commercials for both campaigns attempted to create warm images of their candidates with soft background music. Conspicuously missing from the commercials was reference to the sex scandal and impeachment that marred the last two years of the Clinton presidency. The election was the closest in American history, determined by a margin of just 537 votes in Florida. A series of intense legal battles over the Florida recount was not resolved until a controversial 5-4 Supreme Court decision 36 days after the election.
REPUBLICAN GEORGE W. BUSH "A Fresh Start"
George Bush’s commercials were designed to reinforce his image as a "compassionate conservative" with their focus on domestic issues and frequent images of seniors and children.
DEMOCRAT AL GORE--"Prosperity for America's Families" Al Gore’s commercials featured the candidate speaking in gentle, soothing tones, perhaps to counter the stiffness of his image.
R E S U L T S
2004 BUSH VS. KERRY
Terrorism and the war in Iraq were clearly the central issues of the 2004 presidential race, overshadowing such perennial domestic concerns as the economy, health care, and jobs. The polarizing subject of Iraq was connected in the minds of many voters to the 9/11 attacks. The focus on military issues and foreign affairs in 2004 marks a strong departure from the previous three elections-in 1992, 1996, and 2000-which focused almost entirely on domestic issues. In the months leading up to the conventions, the ad strategies of the two major parties followed along the traditional lines established during the Cold War era. President Bush's ads presented him as a steady commander in chief during dangerous times, while Senator Kerry's ads argued that the Democratic challenger is more in touch with the daily needs of the ordinary voter. The most influential ads of the campaign were produced by a relatively small PAC committee, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Their ads, including “Any Questions?," generated widespread and constant news coverage throughout the month of August. The Internet became an important medium during the 2004 campaign. Candidate Websites functioned as the online equivalent of campaign headquarters, used to organize, mobilize, energize, and raise funds from existing supporters. Influenced by the internet-fueled, grassroots campaign of Democratic primary candidate Howard Dean, the Democratic and Republican nominees took advantage of new social networking technologies and platforms. The widespread availability of broadband access made it possible for video to be circulated easily on the Web. As a result, Web-based ads by the candidates, independent groups, and individual filmmakers, were widespread. Web ads tend to be edgier and more provocative than TV commercials, partly because they are often targeted to specific groups with strong opinions about candidates and issues, but also because of the nature of viral video. REPUBLICAN GEORGE W. BUSH "Steady Leadership in Times of Change"
DEMOCRAT JOHN KERRY "Stronger at Home, Respected in the World."
2008 OBAMA VS. MCCAIN When it comes to modern political advertising, Barack Obama changed the game. Although he used traditional media outlets and ran some negative spots, his campaign was based on a positive message - Hope. And, he used the Internet and guerrilla advertising beautifully. Artist Shepard Fairey (featured in this documentary ) created an iconic poster that was seen in streets across America. The Internet blogs and message boards carried the message of Hope across the nation. And Obama's use of the modern methods, plus his youth and charm, completely upstaged his much older, traditional Republican opponent John McCain. DEMOCRAT BARACK OBAMA "Change We Can Believe In." Barack Obama’s campaign created a number of positive ads that emphasize such words as “values” and “work,” portraying him as someone whom working-class voters can feel comfortable with. While Obama’s ads tended to be more positive in tone than McCain’s, there were also a large number of attack ads. Just as President Clinton’s 1996 ads linked Bob Dole with Newt Gingrich, nearly all of Obama’s attack ads linked John McCain with President Bush, whose approval ratings are extremely low. By linking McCain to Bush, the Obama campaign successfully undercut McCain’s image as an independent maverick.
REPUBLICAN JOHN MCCAIN "Country First." John McCain’s ads were mainly about Barack Obama. Following the pattern of the 2004 election, the Republican campaign used its ads to define the Democratic candidate. In addition to attempting to portray Obama as a liberal Democrat who favors tax increases, the ads also tried to suggest that he is a celebrity who isn’t ready to lead. However, with the selection of Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential candidate, the message was refined. Rather than focusing on the question of experience and readiness to be commander in chief, the later McCain ads claimed that Obama was a dangerous choice because we don't know enough about him.
2012 OB
President Obama won reelection in 2012 despite weak economic conditions. The economic collapse of 2008 resulted in soaring A M A V Srates . that RO Mbeen N EasYhigh as 10%, and unemployment have remained at more than 8% through most of 2012; this is the highest unemployment rate since the 1982 recession. The state of the U.S. economy was the dominant issues, with Barack Obama’s campaign arguing that the president has taken action to rescue the economy and turn it in the right direction, and Mitt Romney’s campaign arguing that the recovery isn't happening quickly enough. In an election year marked by a troubled economy and low public approval of the government, it was not surprising that the tenor of the ad campaign was extremely negative. With total spending by the official campaigns and outside “Super PAC” groups expected to reach more than one billion dollars, there has been a deluge of negative ads. Well more than 75% of all presidential campaign ads in 2012 were negative.
DEMOCRAT BARACK OBAMA The Obama campaign spent most of its advertising money trying to define Republican challenger Mitt Romney as a callous multi-millionaire whose policies favor the wealthy over the middle class. While the campaign has produced positive ads touting the president’s successes, this was clearly not a “Morning in America” re-election campaign; the focus was primarily on attacking the challenger.
REPUBLICAN MITT ROMNEY The Romney campaign tried to define the Obama presidency as a failure, citing high unemployment, rising deficits, and higher gas prices. It tried to capitalize on the comment “you didn’t build that” by President Obama, made during a speech, attempting to portray the president as favoring big government over private enterprise. This line of attack didn't make much of a dent in Obama's popularity, its impact weakened by the wide circulation of a video recording of Romney saying that he didn't care about 47% of the population, who were destined to vote for Obama.
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